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This story is part of a series exploring how law firms and others in the legal industry are adapting to manage their millennial workers, from recruitment and real estate to training and technology and beyond. Read our overview here.

More than a third of the lawyers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are millennials. But that's nothing compared to some of the other large metro areas in the United States.

According to data from ALM Intelligence, millennials are now the largest generational group at U.S. law firms, even though few have risen to the partnership level. And these young lawyers are attracted to the country's largest metro areas, for the most part.

Despite being the eighth largest metro area in the country by GDP, Philadelphia was ranked 17th among U.S. metro areas for its millennial lawyer presence, with 36 percent millennials. Pittsburgh came in 22nd, at 35 percent. The top 10 metro areas all had between 38 and 47 percent millennials.

Of the law firms with the most millennials, few even have a presence in Pennsylvania. The top three firms for millennials were Cahill Gordon & Reindel, at 68 percent, Wood Smith Henning & Berman, at 66 percent, and Kirkland Ellis, at 65 percent.

ALM Intelligence used data from the websites of Am Law 200 and NLJ 500 firms to estimate the number of millennial lawyers at each firm and in each metro area. The data showed that millennials are now the largest generational group at those firms. They make up 43 percent of lawyers. They comprise 88 percent of associates, and 5 percent of partners.

Among firms with at least 80 lawyers in the Philadelphia metro area (which includes part of Delaware), Dechert had the most millennials firmwide, at 50 percent, while Delaware's Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell came in second, with 43 percent millennials, and Reed Smith, at 42 percent, came in third.

Reed Smith also led the pack of firms with more than 80 lawyers in Pittsburgh. Behind them was Babst, Calland, Clements & Zomnir at 42 percent, and K&L Gates, at 41 percent.

But even some of the largest Pennsylvania-based firms had millennial populations well below 43 percent, according to ALM Intelligence.

Philadelphia-based Duane Morris, Cozen O'Connor, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin and Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr each had between 25 and 29 percent millennials. Among large Pittsburgh-based firms, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott had the lowest proportion of millennial lawyers, at 20 percent. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has 26 percent millennials.

ALM Intelligence compiled this data using lawyer biographical information publicly available on websites of law firms in the Am Law 200 and NLJ 500. Law firms with insufficient data on their websites were not included. As this data makes use of firm-reported data and age estimates, it may not be exact for each firm listed.

Why Not Philadelphia?

Among the top 10 places for millennial lawyers, seven were among the largest metro areas by GDP. The other three, including the top city for millennials, San Jose, are in California. Out of the top 10 millennial lawyer cities, five are in California.

So why isn't Philadelphia attracting millennial lawyers at the same rate?

The city as a whole may not be sending out the right message, let alone its legal community, said Philadelphia recruiter Liz Shapiro. She said she's not shocked by how Philadelphia's millennial lawyer population stacks up compared to other major cities.

“We've always been a bit of a link between New York and Washington [D.C.], and not quite recognized for all the value we offer,” Shapiro said.

Philadelphia hasn't attracted many new businesses, and the local legal community is crowded, she said. With those factors combined, the law firms are less likely to hire young lawyers from within the city.

Even Philadelphia-based law firms appear to be more focused on growing their market share in other parts of the country through mergers and group lateral moves.

Firms with the highest profits per equity partner also have the most millennials on average, ALM Intelligence found. That makes sense, since profitable firms often have fewer partners and more associates. But most large, Philadelphia-based firms do not rank highly for PPP, especially compared to Wall Street firms.

The Future in Pittsburgh

While Pittsburgh came in behind 21 other cities for its proportion of millennial lawyers, it's also only the 24th largest metro area in the country. So, if millennial lawyers generally prefer bigger cities, as the data suggests, Pittsburgh isn't doing so bad for its size.

But Pittsburgh may see its millennial population grow in the near future, if the city's startup and technology industry blossoms as expected.

“As Pittsburgh is coming into its own, and we are attracting a tremendous amount of technology companies … that's allowing us to attract the millennials,” said Lori Carpenter of Carpenter Legal Search in Pittsburgh. “Years ago that wasn't the case. They were leaving and going elsewhere.”

For a long time, Pittsburgh's population was getting older, not younger, she said. But that has reversed. The tech industry has been drawn to the city by its educational and health care institutions. Young people are attracted to the opportunities presented by tech companies and the Steel City's low cost of living.

Young lawyers are the next population to grow, Carpenter said. The tech companies are drawing in other businesses that want to partner with tech, creating more work for the law firms in town, and a greater need for young lawyers at those firms.

“Now, you say Pittsburgh and people return your calls. They're excited to hear what the opportunity might be,” she said.